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Funk Zone Mural Controversy

A new mural in the Santa Barbara Funk Zone has become a popular place for selfies and group shots, but one city watchdog says the murals in the area are going up without review and this one is possibly an ad for a future business.
The artist Thomas Van Stein says he was commissioned to do the art and is not selling any product. It resembles a retro citrus box label and features Stearns Wharf, the early days of waterfront aviation and the Funk Zone area from decades ago.

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Love, Love, Love AMG! She shows up and cares about our community, residents and the livability of our neighborhoods. She's almost single-handedly prevented: metered parking in the Funk Zone, the Tiny Home for the homelessness project at the parking lot at Carrillo and Castillo and dozens of homes from being converted permanently into vacation rentals. Everyone agrees the city processes, lack of transparency and unequal treatment found in various projects are huge issues. She wants a level playing field for everyone and for the rules to be followed. We should all be grateful for everything she's done and want the same things.

What I hate about AMG, A-1569084461, is she's a proud socialist, who wants to take from young career people to give to who she defines needs our money. She pushes 'inclusionary' rent denying that she's pushing Council to rob me to give my earnings to somebody I don't know, against my will. If I want to rent in a new building where I work in Santa Barbara, I must pay more: duh? Because of AMG and socialist Council Members, I choose to commute because I should not be forced to pay $300/mo more than my next door neighbor and eat only beans because AMG tells the City Leaders that cross subsidizing rents is good. Taxes are supposed to pay for subsidies, not individuals directly. Some say AMG is a communist. She is misguided.

Preventing the homeless from being housed is not a positive. How can you "love, love, love" someone who only blocks and destroys projects. You may not have liked the tiny house project but it was an effort to help, all Anna Marie offers in ways to hinder.
Put something into the world Anna rather trying take away everything else. Create, you'll feel better and people will like you more.

I have a feeling that if a man was spearheading the complaint against this sign, no one would say he was crazy, insane, etc. God forbid that a woman be articulate, strong, and stand up for herself. Apparently, we have not come a long way (baby).

Her issues seem to be to call out staff procedural overreach and errors, and demand greater transparency. I have observed AMG for a few years. She has called out significant oversights, including the recent Tiny House failure to notice the public. Oversight of government is needed. Each local needs to watchdog a public meeting at any level from SBUnified and SBCC to the water board while we still can. Too few know what happened until clobbered or destroyed. EdHat is the only place locals can communicate what's really happening. I'd like to see the EdHat communication vehicle expanded by donor dollars for the benefit of informing all.

Her issues seem to be to call out staff procedural overreach and errors, and demand greater transparency. I have observed AMG for a few years. She has called out significant oversights, including the recent Tiny House failure to notice the public. Oversight of government is needed. Each local needs to watchdog a public meeting at any level from SBUnified and SBCC to the water board while we still can. Too few know what happened until clobbered or destroyed. EdHat is the only place locals can communicate what's really happening. I'd like to see the EdHat communication vehicle expanded by donor dollars for the benefit of informing all.

Absolutely nothing to do with her being a woman. The responses would be identical if she was man. Crazy, insane etc.. the behavior is deranged.
She is not "standing up for herself" she is deliberately time wasting and stalling projects throughout the city, she, he, IT is a menace.

ANCHOO - No, it's not because I disagree with her, it's because complaining and demanding an investigation into something as petty and unimportant as a mural that may be a "hidden" advertisement is the epitome of time wasting. And I'm not talking about HER time, I could give a rat's behind how she spends her time. It's about our City Council's time, which is OUR MONEY. She can complain all she wants on news boards, facebook, etc etc, but when she directs her complaints to the City and demands action, that becomes a waste of OUR time and money. See the difference?

12:07 - keep reaching.... has nothing to do with her being a woman. There are plenty of male pests in the city, but she takes the cake as far as vocal opposition and time wasting. Name one other person that does this. Go ahead, I'll wait.......

All sides are right on this one. Its art, its an ad, its a violation of the sign ordinance, its a zoning violation and Ms. Gott is both bit of a bother and a bit of a local hero. We are lucky to have someone keepig City Hall and its minions in check. The local "news" orgs do nothing of substance. Aside from an angry poodle barking once in a while... Its just too bad there arent many others willing to spend the time to dissect and the rotting body that is Santa Barbara city government.

Gott is no Pearl Chase and who is dignifying her with the title City watchdog?! the woman is just a busy body.
Look up her attack on the Institution Ale sign, almost entirely based on the fact that they are named for an insane asylum, so what! I guess they touched a nerve huh Anne.
As a community we should shame her. Those of us that HAVE to spend time at the City getting permits for our JOBS and those who work the City building and zoning counters are truly tired of this nag. She is commenting on this board and I think it's fairly obvious which comments are hers.

Would not be surprising. As another recent article noted, she has enough spare time and commitment to trying to find things to attack to have averaged more than one public records act request PER WEEK in 2018 alone. Her obsession with showing up at city meetings to complain about anything and bombarding the city with document requests is transparently abusive and designed to be disruptive:
Outside influences can cost time and money, too. Reams of Public Records Act requests that City Hall agitator Anna Marie Gott has been submitting across all departments over the last three years require hundreds of staff time hours to fulfill. In 2018, she made 57 requests ​— ​15 in June alone.

If it is a trademarked brand for a current product, that makes it an advertisement. The 9:32 AM poster here says it is in fact trademarked for clothing. If that is true, then the city needs to be careful. What if Big Dog put up a sign this big? People might like the artwork, but it would still be an advertisement.

Unregulated signage affects the quality of our environment. This sign is fine with me, but the city needs to be fair to all people who want to put up signs. I do think we can make exceptions occasionally.

Anne Marie Gott has some serious issues.
She takes up time and resources at the City on a daily basis.
Half the "issues" around town that draw a wtf response on edhat are literally just her, no one else is complaining and no one else thinks these things are an issue.
I feel bad for the staff on the building counter, I've sat and listened to her whine and I'm often not sure how they don't just kick her out.

Don’t get me started on her. I waiting in line at the stupid city planning counter for an hour and a half while she was at the counter asking who knows what kind of questions. Then I heard she lives in the valley and I have to wait in line?

I usually agree with this particular city watchdog. But in this case I don’t understand why an artist cannot profit from their artwork? The only problem I see with this mural is the lighting. Murals have no reason to be lit up at night even cool ones...

I could care less either way, but isn't an ordinance violation review driven solely by a complaint? Meaning the city only gets involved after a citizen has complained? Sounds like things are working as they should...

Funk Zone Brand word mark (aka trademark) was applied for by the artist Thomas Van Stein with the US Patent and Trademark Office in July. He signed declarations as to his intent to SELL clothing items with the words Funk Zone Brand when he filed the word mark. Under the sign ordinance this so called mural because a sign due to the placement and size of the letters. The word mark sealed the deal with the artists application to register the words and place them on clothing for sale. The so call mural is a sign for a product now. Go to the the link below and enter the words Funk Zone Brand in the Search Term and then click Submit Query. You will find that Thomas Van Stein registered the words Funk Zone Brand. Other applications show the requirements for submitting the application which includes the intent to sell products with the words Funk Zone Brand. His application showed shirts with the mural and a logo. The application included all sort of clothing items...
http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4804:1l8i0e.1.1

9:59, I care, and appreciate getting this info. Why are you wasting your time criticizing people with different priorities than you? If you are the official arbiter of time-wasting then please provide your certificate and accept my apologizes.

At 9:32 - who the heck cares? How does this sign or his intent to market the word "Funk Zone," affect you or any of us in any way at all? Seriously...there's so many wonderful things to do and experience in our beautiful city. Why waste your time with this?